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"My Little Pony III: Equestria Goes Off The Map."
Posted by Estee on 09-11-12 at 03:30 PM
Hoofbeats become audible on the horizon as Season #3 approaches... (Also wingbeats. Don't ask me what kind of sound unicorn horns make. I'm presuming they're not hollow and don't play music when used as extra nostrils. That's someone else's creation.)

Oh, the map? One now exists. WalMart has what appears to be a chain-exclusive display with toys featuring the six Mane Cast members and princesses only -- the better to avoid 'Who's that pony?' -- and it came with four free posters on the sides. This included a map of Equestria, which was strongly noted as not being to scale. It's a little too big to paste into the thread, but links were available.

http://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/08/high-resolution-map-scan.html

So we now have some idea of where the cities are in relation to each other, if not how far apart (along with the country being in the northern hemisphere) -- and are being asked to wonder about the far north, which is where the season premiere will be set. It's a two-parter, entitled The Crystal Empire. Sounds like we're taking the train all the way to the end of the line...

Thirteen episodes this time around. A fourth season is all but confirmed: the Hub just wanted to work with smaller orders. More music. More pegasisters. More bronies. And the first season will finally be released on DVD December 4th: merry Christmas!

http://tinyurl.com/legaltoview

(Note that it's already #14 on the TV sales charts. I expect this to go up.)

The fun may not be doubled. But I'll be content if it just keeps coming.

Here we go again...

Oh, Lyra. Those are your front legs!

Table of contents
Messages in this discussion
"DVD details."
Posted by Estee on 09-11-12 at 05:29 PM
It's going to be exclusive to Amazon: this is another trial balloon being floated up by the main company. Four-disc set, will include audio commentary on an unknown number of episodes by cast and crew. They're also throwing in the sing-along bits from the smaller releases.

Meanwhile, the Toys R Us exclusive figures have appeared. And vanished. And were restocked. And vanished again. No one can get a Zecora without significant effort. But it's not as hard as grabbing a Derpy -- Hasbro made her exclusive to the San Diego ComicCon and (briefly) their own website. Both sold out quickly, will not be coming back -- and naturally, that means desperate collectors are now shelling out the big bucks. Original price: $20.00. On Amazon right about: $119.95. And up.

It's clear that Hasbro could be making more money than they are. Odd place to show restraint.

"NY ComicCon next month"
Posted by moonbaby on 09-13-12 at 10:47 AM
maybe they will release more figures at that? I don't see that there's a booth for them but ya never know.
"RE: NY ComicCon next month"
Posted by Estee on 09-13-12 at 11:51 AM
No idea -- but I can almost guarantee that someone will be trying to resell the San Diego issues at ridiculously-increased rates.

For me, the figures fall under 'They're nice to have, but I'm not paying for them.' I support the series through buying the DVDs and, if I find any junior or senior viewers, I might gift a few things. That's my end of the consumer bargain. The aftersale market can burn.

"RE: My Little Pony III: Equestria Goes Off The Map."
Posted by Snidget on 09-11-12 at 06:04 PM
I'm more concerned about the legs of the one in the front that is bent backwards. OUCH!
"RE: My Little Pony III: Equestria Goes Off The Map."
Posted by Estee on 09-11-12 at 06:08 PM
LAST EDITED ON 09-11-12 AT 06:16 PM (EST)

*looks* Future Twilight (recoiling from the hourglass) or the Changeling Swarmer (solid light blue eyes and holes in the legs)?

ETA: Okay, I think I see it -- Shining Armor (white male unicorn) propping Cadence up with that one odd leg. If he was holding it a bit more out to the side and then bending inward, it would look a little more realistic. As-is, it could seem painful.

Unicorn did it?

"RE: My Little Pony III: Equestria Goes Off The Map."
Posted by Snidget on 09-11-12 at 06:47 PM
Yep the ETA one is the one I was looking at.
"Yay!"
Posted by moonbaby on 09-12-12 at 11:24 AM
"RE: Yay!"
Posted by Estee on 09-12-12 at 03:23 PM
So, y'gonna get the DVD set? I preordered yesterday. I want to only view illegally for episodes I can't officially have. Which is going to include all of Season #3 because I still can't get the Hub.

(I think $24.49 is as low as it's going to go. Since it's an Amazon exclusive, they have no competition incentive to drop the price. And it's less than a dollar per episode anyway.)

"I'm not sure-"
Posted by moonbaby on 09-13-12 at 10:37 AM
gotta see if I get the Hub. If it airs at ten on Saturdays I would postpone my usual running around. Priorities!
"RE: I'm not sure-"
Posted by Estee on 09-13-12 at 11:55 AM
You're in The Hell That Is Cablevision, right? Gawds only know what Dolan thinks of ponies. Beyond 'the concession stand buyers will never know'.
"I have the Hub!"
Posted by moonbaby on 09-13-12 at 08:23 PM
Yipee!
"But I'm not submitting it to the column."
Posted by Estee on 09-23-12 at 01:22 PM
I had occasion to be in Toys R' Us just now, which gave me a chance to see their exclusive MLP:FIM figures -- including Zecora. And what no one had somehow mentioned up until now is that she glows in the dark.

I've spent the last twenty minutes trying to figure out if this is racist.

"Professional Boast Busters live table read at Canterlot Gardens convention."
Posted by Estee on 10-19-12 at 12:24 PM
I cannot testify whether everyone involved was sober at the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yUDdJXNDEA&noredirect=1

Season #3 starts in November.

"Titles, we've got (some) titles..."
Posted by Estee on 10-28-12 at 06:50 AM
LAST EDITED ON 10-28-12 AT 06:56 AM (EST)

Of the thirteen episodes, the following have been named.

1. The Crystal Empire, Part 1. (11/10/12)
2. The Crystal Empire, Part 2. (11/10/12)
3. Too Many Pinkie Pies.
4. One Bad Apple.
5. Magic Duel.
6. Sleepless In Ponyville.
7. Wonderbolt Academy.
9. Apple Family Reunion.
10. Spike At Your Service.

Not exactly hard to spot the focus episodes. #5 is likely the promised return of Trixie. #6 could be anything, but I'd lean towards Rarity.

"Season premiere tomorrow: 10 a.m. EST."
Posted by Estee on 11-09-12 at 05:11 PM
Again, that's one hour: the two-parter will air back-to-back.

EW claims "the time is neigh". (I did not cancel my subscription. Barely.)

"Yipee!"
Posted by moonbaby on 11-09-12 at 08:04 PM
If the power stays on here that's a must see! Thanks for the info!
"Waaaaaaa"
Posted by moonbaby on 11-10-12 at 10:54 AM
My sister does not have the hub
"RE: Waaaaaaa"
Posted by Estee on 11-10-12 at 10:56 AM
I'll post YouTube links later. They typically come up a few hours after the episodes air. (Hasbro still doesn't seem to care.) I don't have the Hub either, so I always wind up stuck waiting on the uploads. Just gotta find a 720 rez...
"The Crystal Empire, Parts I & II"
Posted by Estee on 11-10-12 at 03:47 PM
LAST EDITED ON 11-10-12 AT 07:56 PM (EST)

This was the first upload I could find on YouTube. Resolution isn't the greatest, but as long as you can tell who everybody is...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_FirJdUMKw

Haven't quite loaded it yet: viewing later.

ETA: Found a 720: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpCcAXyWTH8

"Bring back the slice-of-life episodes."
Posted by Estee on 11-10-12 at 11:50 PM
More than anything else, this felt like a four-part episode getting crammed into two -- with the best parts left on the cutting-room floor. Why, after two seasons of learning about teamwork, does Twilight have to go at it alone, by royal order? What's the backstory on the Empire? On Sombra? On, come to think of it, anything whatsoever? Is it really a good idea to have Ms. Equine Obsessive Of 2012 learn to mimic the bad side of magic? Can we just assume Shining Armor is on his honeymoon proper now and we don't have to deal with him for a bit? And who edited this mess.

Maybe that mysterious black book glimpsed at the end will open to the season finale and make this all work a little better. But until then -- a forty-two minute opening 'Meh'.

On the plus side, it's all uphill from here.

"Agree"
Posted by moonbaby on 11-13-12 at 09:34 AM
There seemed to be a whole lot missing. One good thing: more Luna! The book at the end...what was that? Twilight could be a princess in training, only she doesn't know it yet-Celestia is the daylight, Luna the darkness and Twilight is, well, twilight.
"One fanbase theory..."
Posted by Estee on 11-13-12 at 12:34 PM
...is that Celestia has been grooming Twilight as her eventual replacement. This idea has been around in some form since the first season, with a few foundations holding it up.

1. We don't know if alicorns are born, made, or evolve to that status during life. (Or all three -- Cadence and Luna's reversion form suggest you can start young.) It may be possible for a sufficiently powerful or talented pony to become one. Twilight's already at the top of the charts for raw magical power. A little more pushing and...?

2. Celestia took a personal interest in her early. Word Of Faust is that Spike's hatching was not the standard entrance admission: Celestia suspected an Element-Bearer and swapped in the egg to see if she was right. She's been supervising the training ever since. To what purpose? Just to make sure she has a capable head of the local emergency response team? Something more?

3. Celestia is something over a thousand years old. If you look at the timeline, one millennium back was a crappy time for everypony -- Discord in charge to the south, Sombra taking over the Crystal Empire in the north, "And then there's something about a dragon", then the sisters got control of the majority of the continent, started to improve things -- and an outside force corrupted Luna... Discord said he'd forgotten how grim Celestia could be: she didn't exactly have a lot of reasons to be the light-hearted ruler of modern times.

The Fridge Horror page for the series notes that with the Grand Galloping Gala, she's been attending the same stuffy party for centuries. Her subjects worship her as a physical goddess and from all indications, that's the last thing she wants. What if she's just getting tired? Does she want to step down and be part of the herd again? But she'd need a replacement -- and either she feels Luna can't do the job on her own or there must be two for balance.

(Note Luna's reaction to Twilight's arrival in the first part of the episode. It's not necessarily all that friendly. Luna is trying to get everyone's respect back and her own sister not only doesn't seem to trust her with a mission, but may be training someone as her babysitter. In a word, ouch.)

But there are problems with having Twilight in charge of anything. If you want to imagine the future of the three Equestrian species under her rule, imagine a checklist under one hoof and a stopwatch in front of the other -- forever. Her OCD tends to run away with her and when she loses all control over it -- see Lesson Zero and stand way back. Sending her to Ponyville might have been an attempt to give her some balance by putting her in a social circle where she would have to moderate those compulsions. (Of course, she's arguably gotten worse... PTSD, anyone?) Give her a little on-the-job experience in dealing with the occasionally-insane citizens of the nation before you even remotely consider tossing her into the big seat and hope she learns a little calm from it. Even a little -- chaos (hi, Pinkie Pie!), as she's living proof that going too far the other way isn't exactly helpful.

Would you want Twilight in charge of a society? As she is right now, no. But then, from all indications, Celestia used to be pretty grim...

Another fan theory is that immortality for the Princesses was based on their connection to the Elements -- which is now broken and spread up among six.

"The inevitable trading cards."
Posted by Estee on 11-16-12 at 10:07 AM
Damn it, Derpy!

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?clk_rvr_id=411438562324&_nkw=little%20pony%20enterplay&rt=nc&LH_PrefLoc=0&LH_Complete=1

Yeesh. Fluttershy is most expensive pony.

"We've got comicsign."
Posted by Estee on 11-16-12 at 07:46 PM
The official comic book will be out shortly (and monthly) with about a hundred variant covers -- yes, they're pushing their luck -- and a target audience of --

-- well, take a look at this and tell me who they're aiming at.

http://tinyurl.com/issue1page3

I'll probably check out the first issue in a shop and then wait on a collection.


"Too Many Pinkie Pies."
Posted by Estee on 11-19-12 at 09:45 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vURYOPuVFfQ

It's time for another YouTube-style episode breakdown!

0:08 Somewhere, Applejack just screamed and didn't know why.

0:20 Number of birds personally killed by Twilight in series: two.

0:22 Season Three and still no concept of personal space.

0:37 Number of birds personally killed Number of animals personally transmuted by Twilight into eldritch citrus abominations: one.

0:38 Pinkie Pie: up for anything with appeal!

0:40 DARTH RARITY.

1:12 Bad clouds must be punished! With tail whips! (As if RD didn't get enough of the fanbase already...)

1:25 This is going to be a major cartoon physics episode, I can feel it... (Franchise Joke #1: in the original FIM series proposal, Pinkie Pie was a pegasus.)

2:45 Fluttershy keeps fainting couches all over Ponyville in case there's a fainting emergency.

3:01 She was also willing to promise not to breathe.

3:55 Number of animals personally transmuted by Twilight into eldritch citrus abominations: two.

4:21 Time from the swimming hole to Sweet Apple Acres at full gallop: ten minutes. Got it.

4:29 While you're at it, Twilight, why not just give her a book with a love poison recipe and never look back?

4:46 Yeah, she's totally going to ignore this until it goes all parasprite on her too.

5:25 Fandom joke #1: apparently the scenery here is very close to someone's DeviantArt work.

5:45 It begins.

5:57 But you also voice Fluttershy! You talk to yourself all the time!

6:30 This brought up a lot of questions in the fandom later. It's very obvious that the reflections don't have any of the original's memories (and only a single personality aspect) -- so why didn't the others just question them on details of Pinkie's life? Easy answer: because they didn't know. It's not as if there were any actual conversations going on. But it still makes Twilight's later detection method -- and inherent risk therein -- look even worse.

6:51 The Fun Is Not Being Doubled.

6:56 Oh Dashie, you egghead!

7:45 That's enough to buy all of Equestria!

8:38 And Fluttershy spent the rest of the afternoon crying in her cottage.

9:08 Forget it, Dashie, it's Pinkie Pie.

9:23 PONY SHRUG (Fandom nod #2)

9:36 ...Applejack serving banana brickle?

10:47 The point at which this could ever be a good idea has just died under twenty-four stampeding hooves.

10:54 Make that forty-eight.

11:28 Fandom Nod #3 here -- there's a series of very demented (and profane) original animations on YouTube which have the characters drawn in that style. Seek out at your own risk.

12:49 And then there was a barn razing.

13:31 Her insurance wasn't going to pay for it, but then Celestia classified the event as a Pinkie Superstorm.

13:39 'We could only live with this because it was an intermittent event! And no one can find a tuba!'

13:50 The library is getting weirder...

14:11 And thus the plans for Pinkicide were irretrievably launched.

14:38 Fancypants!

14:58 Wait! Rarity's got the hoof fetish! Just ask her!

15:08 Pinkie Existential Crisis Count: #2.

15:17 'We'll take the parasprites back now.'

15:43 Really making Twilight's powers of deduction look bad right now, isn't it?

16:22 And even worse now. Yes, they're imperfect reflections, but did she really think one of them was going to come up introspective?

16:49 Tank!

16:56 The bear's house was being remodeled.

17:18 One gets the impression Applejack's been waiting to do that for a really long time.

17:33 CONGRESS!

18:06 'You're a barely-aware magical flawed copy with no rights. Happy landings.'

18:25 Gawds help us, there's a trope for that: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AGoodOldFashionedPaintWatching And this is already on that page. This is also Fandom Nod #4, as there is actually a fanfic out there about Pinkie watching paint dry.

No, really.

No, I haven't read it. Or any other.

18:54 Right, because that's not going to disturb kids in any way whatsoever...

19:22 The 'Lyra is so jealous' jokes took about five seconds. (Also, eeuuwww. Professor, her hooves don't work!)

19:30 Franchise Joke #2: that's how the ponies were drawn in Generation #3. Horrifying, isn't it?

20:58 There's an argument to be made against blocking off the cave, namely 'The next time we get a crisis, why not just make a dozen Twilights?' And the answer is 'Yeah, a dozen OCD-dominated list-making neurotics.' Good point.

21:31 And then they decided to let her live. For now...


"That"
Posted by moonbaby on 11-19-12 at 07:42 PM
was a nightmare. But 19:30 was pretty damn funny.

FUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUN
FUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUN
FUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUN
FUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUN
FUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUN
FUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUN
FUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUN
FUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUN
FUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUN
FUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUN

Spell check on this = unfunny

"RE: That"
Posted by Estee on 11-20-12 at 08:53 AM
Been gazing into any pools lately that we're not aware of?

For someone who feels Pinkie Pie Is Worst Pony, that was going to be a painful one. (I just pictured Cranky locking himself in his house during this and not coming out for six months.) One of the show's employes said he dreamed in her voice for three weeks, and at least it didn't happen to you. But now it's over and you never have to worry about it again. Until someone tries to create Laughter Shock Troops. And thus we will know the ultimate evil. And then some.

Fair Using Sun_Tzu at RPGnet on the G3 moment:

Funbot #12: "Look upon my true visage!" *becomes G3*

In Canterlot:
God-Queen Luna: "Sister...Did you...feel that?"
God-Queen Celestia: *frowns*
God-Queen Celestia: "The Corruption."

Rarity: "MY EYEEEEES!"
Applejack: "MAH BRAAAAAAIN!"
Fluttershy: "MY SOUUUUUUL!"
Rainbow Dash: "BANISH IT, TWILIGHT! BANISH IT, FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA!"
Twilight: "No."
Spike: "What? WHY?!"
Twilight: "It would be an unspeakable cruelty to inflict this...thing... on the other side of reality. I will not send it back there."
Twilight: "I WILL DESTROY IT!"

(Full episode review at http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?659306-Where-I-Watch-My-Little-Pony-7-Celestia-Forgives-Your-Sins/page36 One gets the impression G3 did not go over well.)

BTW, turns out there's one more franchise joke in this episode. For the original ponies (Generation #1, 1982), babies were had by --

(wait for it)

-- staring into a special mirror and wishing really hard.

Apparently it was the Eighties. Or something.

Word Of Faust: G4 ponies have normal pregnancies which come about in the usual way. And we've seen that a unicorn foal has a small horn at birth. OW!

"One Bad Apple"
Posted by Estee on 11-25-12 at 11:13 AM
LAST EDITED ON 11-25-12 AT 11:15 AM (EST)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dUWf8ecUT0

So. Anyone who believes airing a Very Special Episode about any subject will change a single mind on the featured subject (regardless of what that is), raise your hand.

*counts*

*doesn't take long: no hands are up*

Right. So beyond that...

Applejack has epic stankface. (In fact, every stankface we've seen from the mane cast has been fairly epic. Still a few ponies to go.)

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon have been progressively pushing their luck. First DT goes for the stab in front of her father and finds out he won't put up with it -- and now they both act up in front of an adult witness? At some point, this should backlash on them. Or not, because Filthy Rich already knows what his daughter is and nothing's changed, so telling the mother should -- actually, these things run in families, so it should get her a round of applause. Whee!

New to Equestria-tech: color film and clockwork motor power. I figure we're three seasons away from a laptop. For species with no laps.

The song? Was supposed to be poorly animated. Apparently it's some kind of Hannah-Barbera tribute to the days of repeating motion and seasons taking place in space. I'm not sure most people got that. To me, all it really did was feel painful. Which does mean they honored the source material.

A-Team construction montage with Jimmy Hart Version music for the win!

Sweetie Belle is not the world's most natural actress...

And once again, when they create a plan where everything goes right, the only result is disaster. What would an armegeddon cutie mark look like?

As one YouTube commenter noted, we saw the first-ever tiny burst of magic from Sweetie Belle's horn (giving us her color: mint green) and Scootaloo can now hover for brief periods. Our little fillies are growing up.

Number of spectator ponies done an indignity: lots.

Why does life have to be so ironic?

And then Sweetie Belle was a dictionary.

"Two in a row"
Posted by moonbaby on 11-27-12 at 01:36 PM
First a Pinkie Pie intensive show and now the CMCs. Yeah. Maybe they don't want me to tune in.

We are owed a Zecora or Luna episode. It needs to happen very soon

"RE: One Bad Apple"
Posted by Starshine on 12-01-12 at 08:31 AM
Late to the party...

I normally enjoy a CMC story, this one was clichéd and more predictable then usual, although repairing and rigging the float in one night was a touch impressive.

I would appreciate a Rarity or Fluttershy story soon please.

and a little Rainbow Dash goes a long long way

"RE: One Bad Apple"
Posted by Estee on 12-03-12 at 09:11 AM
*blink*

When did you get here? And almost as much to the point, how?

There's more CMC on the way: next week (Sleepless in Ponyville) will be the first Scootaloo focus episode. I'm hoping to see her parents. I'm hoping to find out if she has parents. To this point, she's been a free range filly.

(Trivia: one of the persistent rumors is that Scootaloo's original concept was as a disabled pegasus: that she couldn't fly and would never learn how -- thus explaining her persistent ground presence: parents in Cloudsdale, staying with someone else. This supposedly comes from things heard at conventions and occasionally gets attributed to Ms. Faust, but I've never seen official backup on it, she does seem to be slowly learning in-show, and I'd bet this next episode won't be about that. Still, I'm told much of the humanized art for her includes a crutch or brace...)

I find it vaguely amusing that for our sample size, Dashie (or as she's known locally, Rainbow Jerkass) is universally towards the bottom of the ranks. But -- she's on most of the merchandise, and as long as that holds true, she's going to get her solo flights.

"RE: One Bad Apple"
Posted by Starshine on 12-09-12 at 04:19 PM
Well you all seemed to be having so much fun when I saw MLPIIIFIM I thought I would give it a bash, and it is really enjoyable so I hung around, not that much to comment on it, however I am watching (and will soon have a t-shirt

Yes when I was browsing redbubble.com I did notice that Rainbow Crash was on almost everything. The only Brony t-shirt at Amazon features her and Pinkie Pie!

"Does this remind you of anything?"
Posted by Estee on 11-27-12 at 07:56 AM
http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/329/1/4/breaking_babs_by_karzahnii-d5m4mc2.png
"DVD details."
Posted by Estee on 11-30-12 at 08:28 PM
Equestria Daily got an early copy. (Release date is Tuesday.) There are six commentary episodes: the two-part premiere, Winter Wrap-Up, Suited For Success, The Show Stoppers, and The Best Night Ever. Commentators include most of the voice cast, members of the art team, music composers, a couple of Hasbro reps, and a director or two. (Sadly, no appearance by Lauren Faust.) EqD found the talk in-depth and informative.

Standing by...

"Magic Duel"
Posted by Estee on 12-03-12 at 09:00 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OJ_xo2oTEY

Okay, better.

The strongest accusation made against this one is that it's pure fanservice. You want Trixie back? You've got Trixie. You want to see Zecora doing a little of her discarded mentor role? (And destroying every rhyme scheme she touches?) You want to see a mare turned into a stallion? You wanted a Derpy sighting? And you wanted the absolutely atrocious pun that is Saddle Arabia? (Well, someone must have...) Here you go, then. See you in twenty-two. But it's still a stronger episode than the last few have been.

And for Moonbaby bonus points, Pinkie Pie spends nearly the entire duration unable to talk!

Trixie has found the interface screen and Twilight went through the fourth wall. That can't be good.

"Whew"
Posted by moonbaby on 12-05-12 at 08:57 PM
That was better, and it was a relief to have less Pinkie screeching.
"Sleepless in Ponyville"
Posted by Estee on 12-09-12 at 10:39 AM
LAST EDITED ON 12-09-12 AT 10:44 AM (EST)

In which we learn that even in Equestria, the firewood does not come when you call.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK2_Opop50Q

Further improvement: we're moving towards first-season standards. Ignore Rarity's hysterics-level outdoor packing (on mission, saddlebags, camping, most of a small country's GNP) and a few poses inching too far towards the bipedal and things are just about back on track.

And yes, Scootaloo does spend most of the episode as a chicken. Ironic, ain't it?

"Oddly enough"
Posted by moonbaby on 12-09-12 at 12:09 PM
for a CMC character focused episode (again?) I liked it, it was very cute. What is her story, though-if I recall correctly we've never seen or heard mention of Scootaloo's family. Curious, that. How bout if she was raised by chickens?

Luna made an appearance, hooray!

"RE: Oddly enough"
Posted by Estee on 12-09-12 at 12:32 PM
I really thought this was going to be the episode where we at least saw a guardian. Because she's solidly ground-bound, I've mentally got her living in Ponyville instead of Cloudsdale. Her family could have moved with her instead of sending her to stay with a relative or such, but...

She can't be living alone and desperate for a big sister presence because there's no other adults in her life -- can she?

(Imagine you're a pegasus parent with a new filly. Your home is made of clouds. And then one day, your child hoof-scraps a hole in the floor -- or is just playing at the edge of the yard and trips. For the first several years of their lives, pegasi foals would exist in a floating deathtrap. Moving downstairs until the kids figure out what their wings are for makes more sense all the time. No wonder they have flight camps: it's 'Welcome Home, Now Don't Die' 101.)

Yep, it's a Woona Sighting. Way past about time. And we've got a little more of her portfolio: she's Dream for the local Endless, explaining part of just what she does all night. Also bringing up the question of just who's thrown a loaf of bread at her lately. Chase this too far and the parallels get disturbing fast. (Place Discord as Delirium, Cadence as Desire... no, I'm stopping here.) But it does say something positive about her improving reputation that Scootaloo didn't spot her within the nightmare and immediately decide things had just gotten a thousand times worse.

Of course, there's still some really unsettling implications to this power. 'Yes, I occasionally wind up in Pinkie Pie's dreams. And then I have to lock myself away for the rest of the week.'

"Wonderbolt Academy"
Posted by Estee on 12-17-12 at 07:58 AM
LAST EDITED ON 12-17-12 AT 08:00 AM (EST)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyvuX1YhPZE

Stop covering your eyes already. We knew this was a RD episode going in. So...

...what are the Wonderbolts, exactly? A professional stunt flying troupe? An elite tiny subset of Equestria's military, air force division? A rapid response team that does air shows in their spare time? The Harlem Globetrotters?

...there are already theories circulating about Spitfire and Lightning Dust being related. (It's the manes.) Another one figures Twilight, knowing just where they were going, had cast the cloudwalker spell before they left.

...Pinkie Pie: still struggling with abandonment issues.

...well, there's a pony we haven't seen in a while! But because "Roid Rage" was collectively deemed to be a little too harsh for the show plus it's judging him a bit unfairly, the Internet had a change of massmind and switched his name to Snowflake.

...of course Dashie recovers quickly from spinouts. It's called experience, Captain Crash.

...Fluttershy, Fluttershy, can't remember she can fly!

...interestingly, this episode shows the maturation process of Rainbow Dash. Can you imagine her walking out on her dream back in Season One? She's the one who would have been up there taking ever-increasing risks in the name of impressing anyone. Going too far in the name of bravado was just about her entire definition, and as for risking others -- yes, let's kick a dragon in the snout again, shall we? But now we have an RD who's had her ego yanked by the tail, put herself in the hospital, taken responsibility for both a pet and a Scootaloo, and generally been forced to grow up by a few seconds. She made a different decision.

The show may have as well. I don't think they'll hit the reset button on this, at least not immediately. From this point on, RD is a Wonderbolt in training -- and that's the first real long-term threat to break the six we've had.

Don't tell the pink one.

"RE: Wonderbolt Academy"
Posted by moonbaby on 12-19-12 at 01:18 PM
This episode was not as annoying as expected. But they should NEVER EVER give Pinkie Pie a megaphone ever again. She was as annoying as expected. We need a Fluttershy episode to balance that out.
"RE: Wonderbolt Academy"
Posted by Estee on 12-19-12 at 04:51 PM
They already gave Pinkie Pie a tuba. Twice. Megaphones are nothing. My fear is the day Equestria discovers radio and someone gives her a DJ slot.

If we've got a Fluttershy focus, it'll have to be one of the unnamed episodes: the titled ones are too clear. It's hard to see them letting a season go by without giving her twenty-two minutes to almost herself, though.

Oddly, of the Mane Six, she's the one I'd like to see confront the horrors of -- dating.

Rarity would insist on doing her makeup. And then insist on overdoing it.

"RE: Wonderbolt Academy"
Posted by Starshine on 12-19-12 at 04:52 PM
Funny, we have a Rainbow Dash all grown up episode and Pinky Pie goes back to being childish, I was expecting more after her babysitting experiences.

Not sure about Rarity as pony-chaser

If Rainbow Dash is now a Wonderbolt in training does that mean that another pegasus is going to take over in Ponyville as "weather boss" and if so will that cause future stories?

One (sort of) amusing scene from Fluttershy and Rarity, we need more!

"Apple Family Reunion"
Posted by Estee on 12-24-12 at 08:42 AM
LAST EDITED ON 12-24-12 AT 08:48 AM (EST)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpUDbfRrLAs&hd=1

Also know as 'Workaholic's Holiday'. The sad part? This is exactly in character for AJ. How do we have fun? By running everyone into a state of exhaustion where the only remaining logic is 'I have no strength, so I must have had a good time'! So who are you going to let plan your office party?

Word Of Storyboard Artist is that the shooting stars (seen twice: just before the credits and when Granny Smith is talking about everyone not potentially being there for the next reunion) represent Applejack's parents. This plus the painting on the wall is, given the original intended audience, as close as the show can realistically come to openly admitting they're dead.

I'm guessing that between normal wear and tear, the assorted disasters which regularly cycle through Ponyville, having Applebloom trying for her cutie mark on-site, and visits from Pinkie Pie, Sweet Apple Acres goes through about six barns a year.

Note that Babs pretty much said the CMC now has a Manehattan branch. I expect an episode about the city's destruction any season now.

...ponies have elbows? And enough with the human sitting positions!

So not only can you eat the rainbow, but certain kinds of rainbow may try to eat you.

I have no idea how long a local moon is either, but I'm pretty sure the premiere wasn't eight years back. Maybe that was just a regional gathering?

And with the Internet being what it is, there are already people swearing they heard AJ singing "Racist barn, racist barn."

Better tell Zecora.

"New episode title revealed."
Posted by Estee on 12-24-12 at 04:44 PM
Keep Calm And Flutter On

This one has some historical connotations for Starshine...

Note that there's already merchandise bearing 'Keep calm and canter on'.

"RE: New episode title revealed."
Posted by Starshine on 12-25-12 at 06:31 AM
Happily wearing my Fluttershy "Haters gonna hate" t-shirt.

Thankfully Hitler decided to invade Russia so the poster was never used and no-one really knew about it until quite recently

"RE: New episode title revealed."
Posted by Estee on 12-25-12 at 02:39 PM
Any street reactions to it? I've never worn anything franchise-related. (Never do upper body, haven't seen lower, caps are generally meh, appropriate places for pins are few and far between.) I don't know if people are scurrying away or towards.

"RE: New episode title revealed."
Posted by Starshine on 01-11-13 at 10:33 AM
My onion "Kitten thinks of nothing but Murder all day" got more responses, particularly in Canadia.

In fact the MLP t-shirts got no comments at all.

"Commentarius."
Posted by Estee on 12-27-12 at 01:20 PM
Bits gleaned from the DVD background chatter, where I'm almost
sure at least half the people in the room were sober:

Premiere

The storybook sequence which opens the series originally ran long and had to be trimmed down. (It was also rendered via painting.) Running past allotted run time is a problem for the series in general and the actresses claim their main booth order is 'Act faster!'

Canterlot is visually inspired by Minas Tirith. (It's also literally that shining city on a hill.)

Some of the backgrounds started as being more complicated, but got simplified because it was just hard to pick out the action against all the detail. The show's color palette also works against the artists at times -- bright ponies, bright backgrounds, bright objects... And as-is, the series is pushing the limits of what Flash can pull off. (In particular, the manes of Celestia, Luna, and Nightmare Moon were hell to animate. Nicole Oliver (Celestia) claims her own hair just does that naturally.) There's still some cheating going on, particularly with character mane and tail positions. But it gives for what it takes away -- it's easier to do multiplane depth and there's no color bleeds.

Color-coded magic auras were a late idea: up until that point, it was difficult to tell what was affecting an object and, if there were multiple unicorns on site, impossible to tell who. They don't appear around everything targeted until well into the season.

Spike's voice actress (Cathy Weseluck) thought of him as being very baby-young at the start and later mentally added a few years, explaining the vocal evolution in the first season.

The extended Apple clan was going to be even larger than shown, but suffered the same problem as reusing G1 character names: Hasbro couldn't establish the trademarks.

Tara Strong (Twilight) often records in a separate studio (and city).

The use of "everypony" and other such wording wasn't in the first scripts, and a lot of time went into searching for all of the other wording to make sure it was gone.

Threat levels faced by the characters are a constant concern: there has to be enough so that there's real stakes, but it can't be so scary as to alienate the kids. The tightrope sways... and given that the series does have a Nightmare Fuel page on TVTropes, occasionally goes over.

It takes about five weeks to storyboard an episode, three weeks for layouts, and another three weeks to animate. Revisions add to that. A lot.

"There's no wrong way to be a girl."

Winter Wrap-Up

Pony advertising and signs are pictogram based to make marketing the show into other countries easier, plus images register faster to the brain than words.

The songs stick in the staff's heads, too. (There were about eight variations on the chorus.)

Twilight originally had a different design: light blue stripe in her hair and a small moon for a cutie mark.

Pinkie Pie's voice is basically Andrea Libman pushing herself to the limits of loud, fast, and crazy, added to a game of 'What sounds can I make?'. (She goes as fast as she can, they play it back, and if no one can understand what happened, take two.) So if those limits had been any higher... And yes, her natural voice is at the high end. At one point during the final commentary, she goes into Pinkie Pie out of nowhere and you can hear the entire room jump.

There was in fact a debate as to why saddles and bridles would exist in a world without anything that rides.

The bird flocks near the end of the episode are a Flash glitch recruited into a special effect. And Twilight's coordinator outfit is magicked on to keep it from having to go over her head...

"We thought the snow should be white."

Suited For Success

Rarity's glasses are an Edith Prickley homage.

The original series manual for Rarity suggested she should sound something like Audrey Hepburn, so that's part of where Tabitha St. Germain drew the voice: make the diction very clear, then add Dutch, English, then some Connecticut to keep it at least a little North American, and go for the posh.

Why do scissors have finger grips? No one knows... Possibly the same reason slippers are front hooves only, although in that case, Rarity was not in a mental state to be watching all details of her outfit.

The song everyone in the fanbase thought was a secret hidden assault on network meddling with shows and having to keep clients happy? Was a secret hidden assault on network meddling with shows and having to keep clients happy. Daniel Ingram was practically daring anyone to send him a note... So call one for the viewers: a Take That sailing under the radar -- until it hit the air.

Discussion of timing the music against the animation makes voice actresses heads hurt.

The basic pony design is simple -- but apparently it's really hard to do freehand: mess up the proportions even a little and the entire thing falls apart. Convention embarrassments seem to have occurred.

Use of visible outlines are generally limited to characters to increase contrast and visibility.

"That's the beauty of Flash: we can actually zoom right inside someone's soul!" And yet concepts like 'rotating stage' make the animation team cry.

The Show Stoppers

Second most common voice direction: "That's just weird."

Third: "That's a choice..."

The actresses who voice the CMC (Michelle Creber: Applebloom. Madeline Peters: Scootaloo. Claire Corlett: Sweetie Belle) were actually age-appropriate for the roles: nine and ten during the original recordings. Dawson Casting averted.

Horsepower on that scooter: something under one.

Scootaloo's mane has a single pink pixel floating in the air behind it. Good luck finding the thing. Better luck thinking of a reason to look.

Tabitha: "Why does the rest of my family not have the same accent?" (And the creative team has no idea where Scootaloo's parents are either.)

The head-piano-repeat is a tribute to Sesame Street.

They're aware that if they even joke about 'Someone should make', someone will. I can feel them itching to abuse it.

Madeline Peters has perfect pitch and a strong singing voice: it made her physically ill to do the end number badly. And thus the audience got to share her pains.

Design style for said bad end number: every bad Eighties musical cliche which ever existed and never should have. And then they asked Daniel Ingrim to anti-autotune it... It's hard to do bad well on purpose. Unless you're Donald Trump, and then it's your whole life, except that you're not aware of it...

The Best Night Ever

As with Suited For Success, it's a whole lot of men designing a whole lot of dresses. The ladies complimented them on the results.

The mice-horse section (pre-credits) was used as a test for hiring storyboard artists.

Yes, they know about the Flash glitch which produced the cyclops pony. No word on why no one stopped it.

Acknowledgement that Equestria is essentially a matriarchy. As if there were any doubts.

The big musical number on this one left a trail of bodies. It wasn't just animating all the ponies, it was animating ponies in evening wear. The joke was that the purpose behind the song was to break the art director, and if they didn't get him, they got everyone around him: new ponies, backgrounds, outfits, musical instruments... haul the corpse away and hire another intern. There's also a forty-person chorus singing in the background -- but they worked for free.

"Fluttershy's descent into madness."

The naming of all the background ponies amuses them. (Hi, Octavia!) And there's a Carl Sagan pony lurking about the Gala, which some people seem to have missed... Also, there's a Craig McCracken (Lauren Faust's husband) character ponified: look for the hat.

"It's such a sweet band: tuba, harp, and double bass." And so they were limited to those instruments (plus the piano) for the Pony Pokey.

The original temp score for the destruction of the Gala? House Of Pain.

And finally, the smashing of the slipper: "I don't need no stinking prince!"


"Spike At Your Service"
Posted by Estee on 01-11-13 at 09:47 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd7V_qqCcsk

It took a while before I wanted to try saying anything about the cliche' storm that was this excuse for an episode, and I finally got it filtered down to this:

Timber wolves are animated wood.

Spike is a dragon.

Dragons breathe fire.

End of plot.

"RE: Spike At Your Service"
Posted by Starshine on 01-11-13 at 10:37 AM
She heard him say he was off to serve Applejack, she was just so happy about getting a break that she didn't say anything.

Yuck, what an episode.

"RE: Spike At Your Service"
Posted by Estee on 01-11-13 at 12:38 PM
Sun_Tzu's review postulated the rancid timber wolf breath as a neurotoxin that makes the victim clumsy and physically inept for days after exposure.

It's a desperate fandom attempt to excuse-improve a stinker, but at least it's a quasi-rational one.

"Thank you!"
Posted by moonbaby on 01-11-13 at 04:38 PM
aaaand that about sums up this episode

While I do enjoy watching the episodes as they air, it doesn't appear that the Hub is in HD on my cable service. So it looks MUCH better with the links you provide. Thank you!

"Keep Calm And Flutter On."
Posted by Estee on 01-21-13 at 09:27 AM
That is not the original title of the episode. Before production had second thoughts, the airing you are about to view was labeled as Fluttershy's Home For Reformed Draconequi.

You have been warned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzDEfK825_A

We also have titles for the remainder of the season, namely:

Just For Sidekicks (Spike babysits the pets en masse.)

Games Ponies Play (Olympics of some sort?)

Magical Mystery Cure (Cutie marks get switched around. You just know it's the CMC's fault...)

"Meh"
Posted by moonbaby on 01-27-13 at 06:40 PM
I love Fluttershy. But Discord I can do without. What's the deal there, anyway? Why not just leave him sealed up in stone? What do they need his topsy-turvy brand of magic for?

He's a great villain. In my opinion they should have left it at that, but Friendship IS Magic. Yeesh.

"RE: Meh"
Posted by Estee on 01-28-13 at 09:58 AM
LAST EDITED ON 01-28-13 AT 10:02 AM (EST)

The stone seal was a problem -- potentially a long-term problem, but present. The seal originally weakened because Celestia and Luna lost their connection to the Elements. And unlike the princesses, the Mane Six are very mortal -- plus they keep getting in situations where their lives are at risk. So worst-case, one or more die via misadventure or Equestria Apocalypse #145 (this year) and Discord breaks out. Best-case, they all retire immediately, live long lives for whatever the pony lifespan is, and he breaks out decades to a century or two down the road. Eventually, this had to be dealt with -- but this is the sort of thing where a lot of the population would really like to stall as long as possible. And expecting Discord -- you know, previous ruler of the land, staining glass showing ponies being held over flames, screams in the background soundtrack -- to flip his leaf?

Twilight summed it up by (for the first time ever) demanding to know what the hell Celestia was thinking. I'd like some hint to the same.

As for the story itself (which I keep mentally labeling as The Taming Of The Q)? You said it: meh. Possibly sub-meh. It just felt like a bad, sappy idea to begin with. Treated as a four-parter with some explanation why this had to be done now? Might have worked. As-was, it was twenty-two minutes of a trope called Canon Discontinuity: let's all forget this ever happened until someone comes up with a reason why it did.

Oh, Celestia...

"Just For Sidekicks."
Posted by Estee on 01-26-13 at 04:21 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdGOLZJMo1w

Speaking as someone who has yet to take on a petsitting assignment which did not include an epic fail, this was the best episode of the season.

Then again, you may want to consider the source.

"This episode"
Posted by moonbaby on 01-27-13 at 06:42 PM
was a gem.

"RE: This episode"
Posted by Estee on 01-28-13 at 01:23 PM
I should have mentioned that if you absently-mindedly treat your semi-sweet chocolate chip supply as snack candy and then wonder why you can't make any cookies, this is also your episode. Poor Spike. And that was before Zecora decided to Intervention his scale-covered rear. Not a good episode to be a baby dragon.

Oh, and the other main lesson I got from the episode was that Angel lives with Fluttershy because anyone else would have killed him by now. To quote Friendship Is Dragons, "He's ironically named! We get it!"

(The CMC failure was just inevitable, although Opal's new attitude towards Tank was fun. Classic cat: she's figured out that she can't kill him, so she might as well like him...)

Two left. After that, it's a long winter of Phoenix Wright videos.

"Spoiler. @#$%. Alert."
Posted by Estee on 01-31-13 at 07:48 PM
http://family-room.ew.com/2013/01/29/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-exclusive-twilight-princess/

Fear the mandatory organization.

"Games Ponies Play."
Posted by Estee on 02-10-13 at 12:46 PM
I feel a Youtube breakdown coming on -- mostly because the commentary on this episode (for the link about to appear) went so far into the Troll Zone so quickly that getting back to old-fashioned 'oh, look at this' might be the only balm possible. Do not read the commentary section. Snidget, that goes triple for you. There's only so much deliberate intent to induce suicide one person can take in a week and Survivor premieres Wednesday, so that's ninety percent of typical capacity right there.

In the meantime...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GJ114kPuTQ


0:04 When last we left our disaster...

(You know, Spike At Your Service makes a lot more sense if you place it after this pair of episodes. Spike's 'Noble Dragon Code' looked self-written. He neglected his responsibilities, learned his lesson, and promptly went way too far in the opposite direction.)

0:32 Don't look back. Don't ever look back.

0:41 Clearly the Crystal Empire must sell some incredible duty-free alcohol.

1:03 RAINBOW DAD.

1:06 Dead-on IOC imitation. (Wonder how many bribes it needed...)

2:23 Bring It On Down

2:32 Pinkie certainly seems to sit on ponies a lot.

2:47 I don't know about you, but I find it hard to look at the crystal ponies for any length of time. Uncanny Valley for sparkles?

3:16 Generally it's better for everyone's emotional health when Dashie isn't invested in the situation.

3:22 'I call it Formation Twelve.'

3:49 Silly Cadence! The freebies are for the IOC! And anything not nailed down is a freebie! (Hide the heart.)

4:16 Supreme Murder-Avoiding Breath Control Technique. Six motes.

4:55 It's a funny thing to notice, but the size difference between alicorns and standard ponies really stands out with Cadence on that spa bed -- and she's the smallest of the royalty.

5:01 'It's been a thousand years since the last fashion magazine, okay?'

5:31 We have just proved reincarnation in Equestria. And we have also proven that in a previous life, Twilight was a manestylist.

5:55 Taking on too much work with too little time to do it in is kind of her thing.

6:05 Worst. News. Prioritizing. Ever.

6:08 Where -- is -- the -- bathroom?!?

6:19 As Rarity takes the first (skipped) step in conquering her OCD.

6:27 So in a world of brightly hued coats and manes added to distinctive cutie marks among four separate species, the visual identifier we are about to use for locating our target is -- luggage.

7:05 Next up, Rainbow Dash will attempt to get into the stage show down at the club.

7:32 I mean, really: pale yellow coat, two-hued green mane, earth pony, freckles, glasses, chicken on her flank. How hard would that have been?

7:48 Things can't be going this well, can they?

8:29 No. No, they cannot. (Total luggage identification failure.)

8:38 It's not a proper salon until the power tools come out.

8:58 "I AM YOUR OCD, RARITY! AND THIS IS WHY YOU CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT ME! SKIPPING STEPS, MY CMC!"

9:16 Come to think of it, that's probably a very common phobia.

10:10 Kind of like having people who don't represent the bulk of America make all the political decisions.

10:25 Party Cannon, take two.

10:51 Pssst! This is when you're supposed to catch on!

10:52 Nope.

11:31 Damn you and your unicorn logic!

11:39 'Remember, when she says things this stupid, she's usually right...'

11:57 She doesn't have six motes.

12:06 Nice little animation touch here in Rarity's near-hyperventilation.

12:14 Now imagine the part you can't see.

12:44 I had a museum guide like this once.

13:11 Remember, when she says things that stupid, things normally get a lot worse before the 'right' kicks in...

14:04 'And I'm flapping, and I'm flapping...'

14:45 One second of inner peace --

15:14 The less we know, the more sense it must make? To -- someone?

15:17 Tough filly, isn't she?

15:20 Oh dear.

15:32 Of course. (Crystal streets don't drain very well, do they?)

15:38 Well, it's like this, Fluttershy. There is one thing in the world you're not afraid of. And she? Is. Ironic, huh?

15:55 Measured squeak time: six seconds.

16:04 'I am in pain. I am in so much pain. I thought I was in pain after I let Derpy design my obstacle course, but this? Is pain. And I am in it.'

16:19 'Furthermore, when Rarity sees my mane, she will die.'

16:44 PONY COUGAR.

17:07 'FAUUUUUUUST!'

17:24 Oh, look at that. All out of motes.

17:57 Our luck is exactly that bad!

18:27 Something which rhymes with 'lucked'.

18:36 If you happen to like having your mane turned into a chandelier.

18:45 'I've been here for hours and my bribe income is still at zero!'

19:07 The last, best, stickiest hope.

19:48 'And you forgot to give her all of my bribe money, which means it's still waiting for me! Gimmee!'

20:16 Wheel of Dashie's Morality, turn-turn-turn.

20:52 And this? Is where we came out.


"Magical Mystery Cure (season finale)"
Posted by Estee on 02-17-13 at 11:42 AM
LAST EDITED ON 02-19-13 AT 08:25 PM (EST)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb0pY_sjN2Y

The trope we want here is Base Breaker.

For what it's worth:

* I think this would have worked -- as a ninety-minute movie. Twilight is not emotionally ready for this and one act of magic can't make it so. Given more time to explore the plot dynamics of the first act (and there was a lot to work with there), it might have been possible to convince me she was on the brink. But after that airing -- well, as the saying goes, power is generally the ability to screw up on an ever-increasing scale. The OCD organization shall last -- forever? Stay tuned.

* The Hub insists this was not due to an order from Hasbro so they could sell more toys. Believe it or not.

* I refuse to consider mortality angles right now.

* The animation in the first two-thirds of the episodes was some of the best the series has ever shown off: note everything going on during Pinkie's farm stint and Rarity's unwinged weather control. Similarly, the songs were fine -- but they were exerts at best. And incidentally, Twilight, when you live at Equestria's Hellmouth, you do not sing about how everything's going to be fine. Yeesh. Talk about begging for it.

* Yes, technically, Applejack should have been kicking the ground to try and get gems out while Rarity entered a thousand races and came in last every time. (And as far as AJ goes, I'm almost convinced she's color-blind. Who's sorting those apples? For that matter, where were Applebloom and Big Macintosh during the first act?)

* You can lower your wings now.

*sigh* So. Up next... the comic continues (although gawds knows it'll feel the impact of this), and Much Merchandise is coming in the next few months, including original junior novels. A movie -- DVD release -- is going to be formally announced at ComicCon, along with some hints as to the direction of Season #4. The later may be a partial reboot, as TVTropes has it quoted as a new intellectual property. (Fear.) Supposedly we're looking at twenty-six episodes. No idea where they're going with this -- some kind of Equestria Tales focusing on background characters and exploring the world is too much to hope for. But it may be hard to stick with the Mane Six Plus Spike after this level of shakeup.

ETA: Always finish checking around before committing to a post. According to one of the showrunners (Meghan McCarthy), this is considered as the first of three parts. So we'll at least be in Ponyville some of the time. (Fear not fading.)

We're supposedly looking at eight months before anything turns to fact. In the meanwhile, let the rumors fly...

...you know, she was flying entirely too well for someone who just got those.

There is no book.


"RE: Magical Mystery Cure (season finale)"
Posted by Starshine on 02-17-13 at 05:33 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCZCv98XKFs
"RE: Magical Mystery Cure (season finale)"
Posted by Estee on 02-17-13 at 06:47 PM
You're going to need to narrow down your reaction a little. Does this represent:

A. Your reaction as a fan. ("It's over, the shark has been jumped, and the rider fell in and got eaten. Additionally, would you be so kind as to shoot me now?")

B. Your view of Celestia's reasoning. ("There is a crap storm ahead of such intensity that creating the Alicorn Of Obsession is the only path through it.")

C. (Insert Starshine's other explanation here, in detail.)

"RE: Magical Mystery Cure (season finale)"
Posted by Starshine on 02-18-13 at 06:47 AM
A) Yes! This was such a rushed episode, and in fact rushed series, we have had no sense of Twilight growing, and yet suddenly she is an alicorn, Actually barring the alicorn ending it wasn't a bad episode.

B) My main agreement with you, There have been hints that something big and nasty is coming that Celestia and Luna will not be around to handle, and whilst I know that our ponies are supposed to be grown ups they still behave a lot like children.

Maybe Saddle Arabia is going to invade? I don't know, but there are dark clouds over Equestria for the foreseeable future

Spike has actually got more childlike but never fear, the jewels of harmony will save the day!

"RE: Magical Mystery Cure (season finale)"
Posted by Estee on 02-18-13 at 10:17 AM
I've had some sense of Twilight's personal growth throughout the series, but it's mostly been in her ability to emotionally connect with others and actually give a flying feather about those around her. She doesn't let go of the little things well (and the attempt to give her that lesson in Games Ponies Play really felt rushed), her diplomacy skills don't quite exist yet (Baby Cakes), and there are two words for when her OCD completely takes over: Lesson Zero. They are not pretty words. We do not want those words to happen again. Especially at the new power level.

In my opinion, she was about halfway there -- but that's just it: half.

(This brings up questions about how Celestia and Luna reached alicorn status -- and still more on Luna's corruption. When you aren't in an emotional position to handle things yet and something influences you... Celestia's had at least a millennium to find her center: Twilight's had about a day. This would be a very bad time for a corrupting force to show up.)

something big and nasty is coming that Celestia and Luna will not be around to handle

Possible. The wedding episodes gave the series its Shane moment when it proved Celestia can be taken down by superior power -- and that superior power can exist. (Some people feel her backup plan there was 'Stall for nightfall and then you're in trouble.' It's generally agreed that under normal circumstances, Luna's nocturnal. Note her entrance at the end along with taking surveillance shifts earlier in the episode.) Taking out both sisters would be harder, but it's not impossible. And Cadence is in no way a fighter. Twilight's at least had a few hard-taught courses in battle tactics and desperation improv.

and whilst I know that our ponies are supposed to be grown ups they still behave a lot like children.

Word Of Faust is that the Mane Cast is mentally between twelve and eighteen: mature enough to handle a lot of things, young enough to have some childish responses. (Arrange them on that scale however you like: Pinkie's holding down the low end.) Physically, they're young adults. Of course, ponies do physically mature a lot faster than humans...

And y'know, it says something when the series has had sixty-five episodes and it feels rushed...

Oh, and as long as I'm posting: just spotted this.

http://i.imgur.com/Vn8l7QY.png


Derpy supposedly shows up twice after a season-long absence: in the opening and at the coronation, winking at the camera.

"Agree agree agree"
Posted by moonbaby on 02-19-13 at 08:01 PM
with you both. I avoided this thread until I caught up. This episode was just crammed full to overload and the cutiemark switch could have been explored more for more entertainment value, and the whole Twilight as princess, well WHAT who expected THAT? It was nice to see Rarity-I remember her. Sort of. I'll have to go back and play spot the Derpy.

Friendship+Magic=Princess. OK, that seemed to be the big goal. Now what? Make way for the CMC? Blek.

"Don't panic."
Posted by Estee on 03-07-13 at 09:02 PM
Coming soon -- possibly in the spring --

Equestria Girls: The Series

This is not fanart. This is from the New York Times. This is official.

Take a deep breath. Then take the 1 off the JPG and go to the actual link. (I didn't paste the real one because it stretches the page too much.)

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/03/02/business/Hasbro2/Hasbro2-superJumbo.jpg1

I also found art showing Trixie in this style. Hasbro apparently decided the Bratz and Monster High lines needed to be horned in on. (Where are the horns...?)

Again: don't panic. This does not replace the main series, it just adds another show and fills a different timeslot. Think of it as alternate continuity and/or a chance to make Lyra scream in agony.

It could be good. But I still don't think Starshine's bookies are taking any bets.

Don't panic -- but do worry.

"Really"
Posted by moonbaby on 03-07-13 at 09:43 PM
is the original not selling enough stuff?
"RE: Really"
Posted by Estee on 03-07-13 at 09:51 PM
I think it's the reverse: the original is selling so much stuff that Hasbro wants to see if they can get some of this action into the tween market. You know, as opposed to the kids, college students, and adults they've already got. World domination through friendship and ponies?

You have to see the merchandise on Amazon's various upcoming release lists. It took some time for the engine to get up speed, but now they are riding the Friendship Express to Profitville. All they want is an infinite number of stops.

"Trollestia strikes again."
Posted by Estee on 04-08-13 at 12:13 PM
Season #4 episode titles were released...

Winging It Parts 1 & 2
Now You Sea Them, Now You Don't
Meet Princess Skyla
The Student Becomes The Teacher: The Return Of Sunset Shimmer
Luna-Tic
Pinkie Apple Pie
Don't You Dare
It Ain't Easy Being Cheesy
Oops
Bats
The Return Of The Return Of Harmony
Wrap It Up
Pie In the Sky
Who Are You?
It Ain't Easy Being Breezies
Just Forget It
Death Comes To Ponyville
Maude Pie
For Whom The Sweetie Belle Tolls
It Ain't Easy Bein' Weezy
Best Pony
Spike And Rarity Sitting In A Tree
Let The Games Begin
Princess Discord Parts 1 & 2

...on April 1st.

"Has the pony thing gone too far?"
Posted by Snidget on 04-08-13 at 03:23 PM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2299428/Katie-Price-dresses-pink-panto-horse-bizarre-photocall-yet.html
"RE: Has the pony thing gone too far?"
Posted by Estee on 04-08-13 at 03:50 PM
*inspects*

She's a little old to have a blank flank.

"RE: Has the pony thing gone too far?"
Posted by Starshine on 04-08-13 at 05:14 PM
The thing about Jordan is that she has a new ponymark weekly.

Model, Pop Star, Entrepreneur, best selling author, designer, TV star, icon, is there nothing the woman can't do?

"Season #2 DVD set: May 14th."
Posted by Estee on 05-01-13 at 11:54 AM
Again, this is an Amazon exclusive. (However, that's just for the States. Equestria Daily has the first two seasons being released in Europe by Clear Vision: no date yet. Starshine apparently gets preferential treatment.) The price will bounce around a bit between now and release: it's currently sitting at $31.49. I can't get a full list of special features, but it'll include a live table read which I'm hoping is that demented Boast Busters performance. I know this is short notice -- I wasn't expecting it this soon myself, but I guess the first set sold well enough to justify it, and the original was a bit late anyway.

http://tinyurl.com/MLPFIMSeason2

There's also supposed to be a ComicCon panel, more printable coloring sheets, and sing-alongs. Sadly, no word on more commentaries -- maybe the originals were just a little too wild for Hasbro to repeat the experience.

Still no word on Blu-Ray.

I did preorder. I saw two girls wearing Dashie T-shirts this past Saturday: it felt like a sign.

"Reading material for a ponyless summer."
Posted by Estee on 05-01-13 at 01:24 PM
There are original junior novels on the horizon, the comic has been out there for several months, and an official series guide comes out June 4th ( http://www.amazon.com/My-Little-Pony-Friendship-Guidebook/dp/0316247545/ref=pd_sim_mov_1 ) -- but they'll need to go a long way before they catch up with the fanbase, which has been writing original fiction for a couple of years now. And you know the first law of fanfiction. Or you should, because it's Sturgeon's Law, and it applies here: ninety percent of everything is crap.

The problem for MLP: 'everything' is a huge number. Someone worked out -- I don't know how or why -- that the bronies and pegasisters have cranked out more verbiage since the show went on the air than the entire fanbases of Star Trek and Star Wars. Over those series' entire histories. Combined.

This makes finding the 10% into something of a daunting task. And in the face of that task, I did the only thing I could. I turned my back on the fiction sites and pretended they didn't exist. There's only so much crap anyone can take, and I? Watch reality television. I'm at capacity, thankee.

After a while, I took the second tactic: I asked people who had already done the sorting. This was somewhat more effective.

So at random intervals until Season #4 emerges, I'll post a link to something interesting. And for starters, let us delve into the deepest, most shameful state secret of Equestria, something which would destroy the government as we know it should the truth ever be revealed to the public.

http://www.fimfiction.net/story/29271/princess-celestia-hates-tea

Shudder at the horror.

"More ascended fanon."
Posted by Estee on 05-02-13 at 05:44 PM
Way back at the very start of Season One, most people seemed to be finding the series on YouTube: the Hub isn't exactly universally available. A few of those watched the captured episodes with YouTube's autocaption feature enabled. This is generally a mistake, as the program processes speech about as well as Faux News transcribes a quote in context. So when it hit the sea serpent scene in the second half of the premiere, it inadvertently gave him a name. The Internet collectively decided it was going to stick.

And now, two years later...

http://tinyurl.com/cc3mdmb

...it stuck.

"Equestria Girls trailer."
Posted by Estee on 05-14-13 at 08:38 AM
Movie to debut at the Los Angeles Film festival in June, followed by distribution for a week or more to roughly 200 screens nationwide. DVD inevitably follows that and some months later, a debut on the Hub.

Reactions have not been entirely kind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ta9i3YQAzM

I will watch the trailer for the first time before committing on this post.

*time passes*

...I'm so glad this is the Season #2 release day, because I'm going to need something to wash this out of my brain right now...

...ohcrap, I won't get the package until at least tomorrow...

...I'm going back to bed.

"Random Fanfic Day #2."
Posted by Estee on 05-14-13 at 08:49 AM
(In the name of getting That Thing out of my head...)

There are days when you stand on principle. And there are days when it stands on you.

http://www.fimfiction.net/story/36274/twilight-sparkle-gets-a-free-salad